Are you thinking about a CGM and looking for more info about different systems? Sysy Morales from Diabetes Daily reviewed the FreeStyle Libre in an article called "Why I'm Loving the FreeStyle Libre 14 Day System." Our blog will include some highlights of her review.

Comparison

"The FreeStyle Libre 14-Day doesn’t include alarms like the popular Dexcom CGM systems but it is less expensive and so possibly more accessible for many people...For my daughter, I want the system with alarms, of course, and the FreeStyle Libre 14-Day system is not approved for anyone under 18 right now, anyway."

Applying

"Being mechanically inept, I got nervous when following the instructions on how to insert the sensor but I managed it successfully…if you’re worried about it sticking I’d get two alcohol swabs and rub, rub, rub, letting the area fully dry before applying."

Testing

"What I didn’t realize for about one week is that the graph on the reader shows you what your blood glucose has been in the hours before your last finger stick so you can see what your blood sugar has been doing and if you’re trending up or down or hanging steady."

Nice for those Annoyed by Alarms

"The alarms with the Dexcom G6 were so incredibly helpful for keeping tight glucose management but also a bit jarring during times of stress...[with the Libre] I could check as often as I wanted and look at my graph and feel very much in the know without having something dictating when I would do that."

No Bleeding in Public!

"I’m still sensitive to how I come off to others despite how hard I’ve worked at this over the years. Doing a finger stick check in front of people in a public setting, while I’ve done it thousands of times, still makes me uncomfortable...I also hate checking in places that gross me out, too."

Accuracy

"I got the ‘check blood glucose’ symbol about 5 times over the two-week period so I checked my blood sugar those times. My blood sugar was within 30-40 points of what I was getting from the FreeStyle Libre 14-Day system. I also checked a few other times with a finger stick just to assess accuracy. Those times my blood sugar reading was always within 10 points of the FreeStyle Libre 14-Day system. So I felt comfortable dosing off of it but did pay attention and look out for the symbol indicating a finger stick was needed."

Easy to Wear

"While I didn’t have problems with the size and weight of the Dexcom G6 sensor, I found the FreeStyle Libre 14-Day sensor even easier to wear. It’s pretty flat and while heavy, the smooth, circular shape, in my opinion, helps keep it on and feeling balanced. I forgot I had it on."